Top Juniors Bound for Mel Zajac Jr. International, Mare Nostrum
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Twenty-four of USA Swimming’s brightest rising stars will gain valuable international competition experience at a pair of major events next month – Canada’s Mel Zajac Jr. International Swim Meet and Mare Nostrum events in France and Spain.
Making their international debut, 14 members of USA Swimming’s World 100 List are scheduled to compete at the 2018 Mel Zajac Jr. International Swim Meet, slated for June 1-3 on the campus of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
To be eligible for the roster athletes must appear on the World 100 (or National Junior Team), currently be in high school and have never previously represented the United States in international competition. This group will follow in the footsteps of Team USA Olympians Maya DiRado, Missy Franklin, Molly Hannis, Melaine Margalis and Tom Shields, who competed at Mel Zajac as juniors.
Last year’s Mel Zajac International participants made an impact later in the summer, as Dakota Luther went on to qualify for the 2017 FINA World Championships and Kieran Smith and Alex Sumner earned medals at the FINA World Junior Championships.
Later in the month a group of 10 rising stars, labeled the 18 & Under International Team, will compete at the Mare Nostrum stops in Canet-en-Roussillon, France (June 9-10) and Barcelona (June 13-14). To qualify for the roster, these athletes must have posted a minimum top-50 world ranking for females and top-75 for males.
Members of the 18 & Under International Team had the option to travel to FINA World Cup events last fall or Mare Nostrum in 2018.
Mel Zajac Jr. International Swim Meet Roster
Women’s Roster
| Name | Club | Coach | Hometown |
| Phoebe Bacon | Nation's Capital Swim Club | Tim Kelly | Chevy Chase, Md. |
| Katharine Berkoff | Missoula Aquatic Club | Jay Friend | Missoula, Mont. |
| Grace Cooper | Delta Aquatics | Deryl Leubner | Oswego, Ill. |
| Zoie Hartman | Crow Canyon C.C. Sharks | Ethan Hall | Danville, Calif. |
| Ema Rajic | Champagne County YMCA | Will Barker | Urbana, Ill. |
| Isabelle Stadden | Aquajets Swim Team | Kate Lundsten | Blaine, Minn. |
| Gretchen Walsh | Nashville Aquatic Club | John Morse/Doug Wharam | Nashville, Tenn. |
Men’s Roster
| Name | Club | Coach | Hometown |
| Mikey Calvillo | Alamo Area Swim Team | Derek Howorth | San Antonio, Texas |
| Ross Dant | YMCA Seahorse Swim Team | Jon Jolley | Hickory, N.C. |
| Wyatt Davis | Carmel Swim Club | Chris Plumb | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| Jake Foster | Mason Manta Rays | Ken Heis | Montgomery, Ohio |
| Ethan Harder | Billings Aquatic Club Stingrays | Sean Marshall | Billings, Mont. |
| Luca Urlando | Davis Aquadarts Racing Team | Billy Doughty | Sacramento, Calif. |
| Alexander Zettle | Lakeside Aquatic Club | Jason Walter | Southlake, Texas |
Staff
Head Coach: Kate Lundsten (Aquajets Swim Team)
Assistant Coach: Billy Doughty (DART Swimming)
Team Physician: Dr. Martin Zielinski
18 & Under International Team: Mare Nostrum Roster
| Name | Club | Coach | Hometown |
| Michael Andrew | Race Pace Club | Peter Andrew | Lawrence, Kan. |
| Grace Ariola | Waves/Blooming Normal | Charles Yourd | Bloomington, Ill. |
| Zoe Bartel | Fort Collins Area Swim Team | Mike Novell | Windsor, Colo. |
| Cassidy Bayer | Nation’s Capital Swim Club | Jeff King | Alexandria, Va. |
| Brooke Forde | Stanford Swimming/Lakeside | Greg Meehan | Louisville, Ky. |
| Daniel Krueger | McFarland Sharks | Nick Weiss | Deerfield, Wis. |
| Bryce Mefford | California Aquatics/Sierra Marlins | Dave Durden | El Dorado Hills, Calif. |
| Kieran Smith | Ridgefield Aquatic Club | Emmanuel Lanzo | Ridgefield, Conn. |
| Erica Sullivan | Sandpipers of Nevada | Ron Aitken | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| Alex Sumner | Suburban Seahawks Club | Charlie Kennedy | Swarthmore, Pa. |
Staff
Head Coach: Mike DeBoor (Lakeside Swim Team)
Team Physician: Dr. Steve Hartsock
Complete 18 & Under International Team Roster